Asparagus tart light, airy, rich

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I do make it a point to read recipes before I choose them, but sometimes I miss important stuff, such as "bake crust 40 minutes and cool completely."

That's kind of a showstopper.

Before I realized my mistake, I was invested in Asparagus Custard Tart, so I soldiered on with the resolution to warn you to start this at least three hours before you want to serve it. You can also make the different pieces ahead of time.

You're not working for three hours straight, mind you, but scientists have yet to figure out a way to speed the chilling, baking and cooling process.

Five things I learned:

1. The recipe called for a sheet of puff pastry as the crust. I knew I had one in the freezer, so I didn't buy it. Well, the one in the freezer had lost what looked to be a hard-fought battle against freezer burn. I thawed it out anyway, to see what would happen but, predictably, it was hard in places.

I made a pie crust instead. You could certainly use a refrigerated prepared crust. Just roll it out a little wider, like 12 or 13 inches so it still fits in a deep-dish pie plate -- which you'll definitely need. This won't fit in a regular pie plate, and you'll be cleaning up all manner of spillage.

2. The milk mixture with eggs is referred to as a "custard." That's just a term for, well, a milk mixture with eggs. It thickens when you heat it.

Custard is often made into dessert by adding sugar and other stuff, and it's the basis for ice cream. This one, though, is savory, good for a light meal served with soup or salad, a brunch offering. It's a little like a quiche, but airy and more rich than salty.

3. I was a little worried about the custard's pastel green color from the puréed asparagus, but for some reason, the filling changed to yellow as it cooled, which made it much more appealing, St. Patrick's Day being over and all.

4. The cheese lady at Wegmans helped me pick out the cheeses that I needed for the next few recipes. I told her this one called for fresh goat cheese crumbles. She said "To be honest, if you're going to cook it, you might as well just use crumbled feta." Don't need to tell me twice.

5. Speaking of cheese, to make a long story short, I didn't have the Gruyere that I swear I put in my grocery cart for this. So the feta was all by its lonesome on my tart.